Wusanting Mud Volcano Natural Reserve Introduction
There are a total of 27 mud volcanoes in the world, and the Shen Shui Agricultural, Forestry and Pastoral Farm in Shen Shui Village, Yan Chao District, is the most developed area of mud volcano topography in Taiwan, covering an area of 3.88 hectares. To protect this unique landscape, the Council of Agriculture announced this area as the "Wushanding Mud Volcano Natural Reserve" in 1992. The formation of mud volcanoes occurs due to the movement and rupture of the Qishan Fault beneath the crust, allowing moisture to seep underground and mix with mudstone to form slurry. High-pressure gases then force the slurry to the surface through fissures, building up into mud volcanoes. This area has three conical mud volcanoes, with the highest reaching 3.5 meters and a slope of about 50 degrees, making it a typical mud-cone volcano. It erupts every few seconds, with thick mud flowing down the conical surface, forming tongue-shaped mudflows that can extend a diameter of 70 meters. There are often sporadic eruptions of mud and gas, which can frequently ignite or spontaneously combust. For educational and academic purposes, visitors wishing to enter the natural reserve must fill out an application form, allowing them to observe the precious badland topography, mud volcanoes, and natural ecology.
